Islanders coach Jack Capuano takes puck to face, watches team win (VIDEO)

New York Islanders' Jack Capuano may want to ask his equipment manager to bring an extra helmet for Game 2 of his team's second round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning after the head coach was nailed in the face with a puck during the opening matchup.

Capuano was forced to leave the bench after a puck deflected from the ice and hit him directly in the face. But what might have been more painful was hearing his team's 4-1 lead get cut down to 4-2 in the third period from the locker room.



Capuano immediately dropped after getting hit. He needed to be helped off the bench by the trainers while holding a towel to his face.

And while Capuano was out, the Lightning scored another goal to cut the deficit to a single goal. However, minutes after Capuano came back to the bench the Isles scored the empty-net goal to seal a 5-3 Game 1victory.

Later, coach had the bruised nose to show for it.

Islanders beat Panthers on Alan Quine's 2OT goal (VIDEO)

Alan Quine was barely bigger than a hockey puck when the New York Islanders last won a playoff series (1993 for all you tearful fans) and, after the 23-year-old spent most of this season in the minors, the team adding him to the roster as an emergency call-up two weeks ago.

And are they happy they did.

Quine put the Islanders in position to end that 23-year drought between playoff series wins. His slap shot at 16 minutes of the second overtime — after 96 minutes of play — narrowly beat Florida goalie Roberto Luongo, and New York topped the Panthers 2-1 in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

The game started Friday and ended Saturday at 12:16 a.m.. Now the Islanders — up 3-2 in the series — will try for the clincher in Brooklyn on Sunday.

"Right in my wheelhouse," Quine said of the power-play winner, "and I just ripped it."

Isles' goalie, Thomas Greiss, continued his spectacular series stopping 47 shots for the Islanders. He's saved 92 of the last 95 shots he's faced.

Islanders' Adam Pelech takes skate blade to the face (VIDEO)

Sharp objects and slippery surfaces are never a good combination but, when it comes to hockey, the two are just part of the game.

And nobody realizes that more then New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech. Especially after the young player chased down New York Rangers center Derek Stepan after a defensive zone turnover and came up with a nasty cut from Stepan's foot Gitsu.

Stepan was racing to the net as a fallen Pelech swiped at the puck only to have his face make contact with the inadvertent skate.

Pelech did leave the bench for a portion of the period, but managed to return — thankful that it wasn't a whole lot worse.

Adam Pelech's cut makes him look like one of the old 12" G.I. Joe figures. #Isles pic.twitter.com/oOxBK78J0Z

— Dan Saraceni (@cultureoflosing) January 15, 2016

Barclays Center implements new booze policies at Islanders games after brawl (VIDEO)

Barclays Center is planning to cut off serving booze earlier during future games in response to a viral video of an ugly brawl at Tuesday's Islanders game inside the Brooklyn arena.

Several witnesses in attendance at the Islanders-Panthers game claimed Barclays Center security roughed up some fans.

The man and woman, who have not been identified, were reportedly standing in a handicapped area when security stepped in. A scuffle ensued and a video shows a man on the ground surrounded by a number of blazer-wearing security personnel. Although the video shows fans going after the security personnel as well.

@KFCBarstool fight at the islanders game pic.twitter.com/OTwR5Iep0t

— Scottie Wrbs (@AirWrbaa) December 16, 2015

As a result of the scuffle, Barclays Center issued a statement on Friday outlining new measures for its staff and patrons at Islanders games following an altercation in the stands during Tuesday’s game.

“On Tuesday night, December 15, there was an altercation during an Islanders game when arena staff tried to restrict guests from accessing an unauthorized area,” the statement said. “Management immediately initiated an investigation, including reviewing all videos, meeting with staff and speaking to fans who were involved in, or witnessed, the incident. Law enforcement authorities were also notified of the incident. Any parties found to have acted inappropriately or in violation of arena policies, and of course the law, will be dealt with accordingly.”

Barclays Center is also implementing a five-point plan going forward:

*Reinforce security and guest services training with staff.

*Further communicate Barclays Center alcohol policies to fans, which includes two-drink-per-purchase limit.

*End beer and alcohol sales at the end of the second intermission.

*Convene season-ticket-holder focus groups within 30 days to discuss arena-fan relations.

*Remind all guests of Barclays Center’s zero tolerance for any type of racial or discriminatory language or behavior.

There will be no changes to the alcohol policy for Nets games or other events.

The NHL does not have a league-wide policy on when to end alcohol sales and leaves it up to each venue to make the call on last call.

Islanders beat Devils wearing new Barclays Center black uniforms (PHOTO)

The Brooklynization of the New York Islanders continued Tuesday night after the team debuted its new alternate uniform featuring a black jersey with the white Islander NY logo on the chest against the New Jersey Devils.

As the Barclays Center brass continues its quest to integrate the former Long Islanders into their new surroundings (Translation: Make them more edgy and Brooklyny), the Islanders did something the Nets — Barclays' other regular tenant whose trendy black uniform they want the Isles' jersey to emulate — aren't doing. Namely win.

And the Islanders did it without the presence of franchise player John Tavares, who was unable to model the new uni after missed his third straight game with what was finally defined Tuesday morning as “flu-like symptoms.”

The Isles managed the victory without their captain, and they got it thanks to their tireless fourth line as Casey Cizikas scored the winner with 2:12 left in a 2-1 victory over their Hudson River rivals.

[Final] New York Islanders 2, New Jersey Devils 1: Casey Cizikas wins it ... #NYI https://t.co/fQb1ESVPkM pic.twitter.com/NzuBszwF1i

— Islanders Report (@islanders_fanly) November 4, 2015

Black is the new black. Yawn.

Islanders dump Barclays Center 'subway' goal horn for old 'Coliseum' honk

Every NHL fan knows the New York Islanders have moved from their original home on Long Island to Brooklyn to play at the Barclays Center. In addition to the change of venue, it seems the team is doing everything they can to Brooklynize the franchise by adding added new alternate uniforms which use the same color scheme (black, yawn) as the Nets and they also decided to change their goal horn as well.

While nothing was wrong with their old goal horn, which can be heard below, the team and the Barclays Center decided they wanted a goal celebration to better exemplify Brooklyn — a subway train honk.

Introducing the new @nyislanders goal horn that we worked on with the MTA. pic.twitter.com/PcAwbuIAVc

— Barclays Center (@barclayscenter) September 29, 2015

While this is only a slight change, it is one that definitely has not been getting rave reviews on social media — especially from already feeling slighted Long Islanders.

But after some thought, the Barclays decide to derail the idea — albeit reluctantly.

Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark announced on ESPN New York radio's "The Michael Kay Show" that the traditional horn would remain for the team's first season in Brooklyn.

"I read between the lines," Yormark said, speaking of the mostly harsh, negative reaction to the new horn on social media. "We want the fans to have a great experience at Barclays Center. So after meeting with my team today and understanding the pros and cons of going with something that's a little bit more Brooklyn versus something that's been around for a while, we decided that for opening night we will go back to the goal horn that has been around for years.

"I'm not acquiescing to the Islanders fans, what I am doing is doing the right thing. And the right thing is welcoming the Islanders fans to Brooklyn, do it the right way, and we feel this is part of that process."

Kay asked Yormark to clarify whether he meant the old horn would be in place for opening night or for the entire season and Yormark said, "For the season, but at the same time I just want them to understand there has to be a balance of new and old in order to grow this fan base but also maintain the hardcore fan base that currently exists."

Yormark said that to date of the "total universe" of ticket buyers 33 percent are from Manhattan and Brooklyn and 30 percent from Nassau and Suffolk.

Let's see how long the arena keeps the traditional sounding horn before bowing to their new hipster fan base.

Islanders to replace Ice Girls squad with co-ed crew after move to Brooklyn: Report

In a move that reeks more of political correctness than equal opportunity, the New York Islanders said they are thawing out their Ice Girls squad and replacing them with a co-ed ice cleaning crew.

The NHL hockey team is dropping the sexy, cheerleader-like team when it moves from Nassau Coliseum to Barclays Center in Brooklyn this fall, according to Sports Illustrated.

“We decided to go in a different direction,” Barry Baum, spokesman for the Barclays Center, told the magazine.

“We’ve spent a lot of time talking with Islanders fans who made it clear they wanted their favorite traditions brought to Brooklyn, and we have listened.”

The Islanders were the first team in the NHL to introduce an all-female ice cleaning squad back in 2001. Besides shoveling loose snow off the ice at stoppages, they performed various promotional duties.

Other teams — such as the Philadelphia Flyers and the Los Angeles Kings — soon followed suit.

But then came the protests from some who felt the female skaters' sometimes revealing attire was both unnecessary and demeaning to female fans.

The Flyers ended up dumping their Ice Girls after bowing to pressure, but later went co-ed  after fans booed the all-male crew at every timeout.

But Islanders fans need not despair as many members of the team will remain on the new co-ed squad.

Baum said the team will be tasked with “helping create the best ice possible as mandated by the NHL.”

Al Arbour, who led Islanders to four straight Stanley Cups, dies at 82

New York Islanders fans will be losing more than Nassau Coliseum this season, they will also be without one of the men who helped bring the old arena to prominence.

Al Arbour, the Hall of Fame Islanders coach who combined old-school discipline with out-of-the-box creativity to produce a modern sports dynasty with four straight Stanley Cup titles, died Friday after a long illness. He was 82.

The Islanders confirmed Arbour's passing in a statement Friday.

"Al will always be remembered as one of, if not, the greatest coaches ever to stand behind a bench in the history of the National Hockey League," Islanders president and general manager Garth Snow said. "The New York Islanders franchise has four Stanley Cups to its name, thanks in large part to Al's incredible efforts.

"From his innovative coaching methods, to his humble way of life away from the game, Al is one of the reasons the New York Islanders are a historic franchise. On behalf of the entire organization, we send our deepest condolences to the entire Arbour family."

The cause of death is not known, but Arbour had been suffering from dementia and Parkinson's disease.

And when the Isles hang their banners in the rafters of Barclays Center this fall, they will do so with Arbour's legacy: No team in any major sport has won four straight titles since Arbour's Islanders did it from 1980-83. No other NHL team, before or since, has won 19 consecutive playoff series. No coach did it better.

R.I.P. 

Billy Joel gives Nassau Coliseum epic three-hour sendoff (VIDEO)

Billy Joel's 32nd, and final show, at the original Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum was one for the ages — a memory-filled marathon that touched on nearly every part of his career, as well as the soon-to-be-shuttered arena's 43-year history.

The Piano Man opened Tuesday's show at the old venue with his 1977 hit "Movin' Out." And didn't let up for three hours, wrote Newsday.

Long Island's favorite son didn't disappoint and the sold-out crowd was treated to everything from the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" into his "River of Dreams," and Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" into a roaring "You May Be Right."

And the Hicksville native built the show specifically for the Long Island faithful — whether Joel was talking about fights he had in a Northport restaurant, his first gig at Holy Family Church in his hometown or quipping that he'd be fine if a road isn't named for him, referring to a proposal to rename a stretch of Route 107 in Hicksville after him, saying, "I'd rather be alive."

The inimitable @billyjoel closes out the Barn. Nothing like this. Still have chills. Love you, @Nassau_Coliseum pic.twitter.com/0RpsU5RiHC

— Conor Finnegan (@cjf39) August 5, 201

And even though LI's only major professional sports team is headed to Brooklyn, Joel still got fans to cheer "Let's go Islanders!" throughout the epic night.

Joel similarly played the last concerts at Shea Stadium when it closed in 2008.

Andong Song becomes first Chinese player ever taken in NHL Draft

For the first time, a Chinese player has been selected in the NHL draft, although, by way of Canada and New Jersey.

Andong Song made history after he was chosen by the New York Islanders with the No. 172 pick in the draft Saturday.

And it's been quite a journey.

The baby-faced (even by NHL rookie standards) 6-foot, 160-pound defenseman, who goes by the name "Misha," started playing hockey on a tiny rink in Beijing when his mother was trying to find him a sport. Once his talent was acknowledged, his family moved to Ontario where the 10-year-old Chinese boy was met with plenty of skepticism on the ice.

Song, now an 18-year-old who also plays on one of China's national teams, continually proved himself at each level, and was an assistant captain this past season on the varsity team at the prep school Lawrenceville in New Jersey.

Now the sixth-round NHL pick's pro rights belong to the Islanders after Song's selection was broadcast live in China.

Song hasn't yet met Islanders owner Charles B. Wang, who was born in Shanghai and moved to the U.S. with his family as a boy, but said he and his agent were aware of interest from the Islanders for some time.  He wasn't even certain that he was getting picked until his name was called.

"Being the first Chinese player, it's a lot of pressure from people back home, but good pressure," Andong said. "I hope that will motivate me to become a better player and hopefully I'll make them proud."

Nihao NHL.

NBC pays tribute to Nassau Coliseum in final season (VIDEO)

The Islanders might have stumbled a bit down the stretch leading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but NBC does recognize a good story when it sees one.

And the Isles' curtain call at the Nassau Coliseum — before heading 30 miles west to Brooklyn next season — is certainly one of those.

Although it's been 22 years since the Isles last won a playoff series, NBC's promotional advertisement for its playoff coverage should bring back cherished memories of the glory days at the self-proclaimed barn to nostalgic Islanders fans.

The Islanders begin the first-round playoff series at Washington on Wednesday night, with Games 3 and 4 at Nassau Coliseum on Sunday and Tuesday.

John Tavares beats Maple Leafs with spectacular OT goal (VIDEO)

John Tavares is slowly building a legacy out on Long Island and, if last night was any indication, he'll be doing it long after the Islanders move to Brooklyn next year.

The Isles' captain scored on a sensational individual effort with 21.8 seconds left in overtime for a 4-3 Islanders win over the slumping Maple Leafs, salvaging a win from a game in which the Isles twice trailed by two goals in the third period.

It's the kind of momentum they can take that back home to their key match-up with the Rangers Tuesday night.

The game-winner was Tavares' 33rd goal of the season and second point of the night to increase his NHL leading point total to 72.

And to top it off, mom and dad were in the house last night to see it.

Islanders fan reveals her son was conceived in Nassau Coliseum parking lot (VIDEO)

In what might be the most embarrassing "Aww mom" moment of all time, a Brooklyn woman and die-hard fan of the New York Islanders, blurted out that her son was conceived in the parking lot of Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum during an interview on a live television broadcast.

Joy Rosen admitted knocking boots in between the parking stripes thirty-three years ago during Monday night's Rangers-Islanders broadcast on MSG-plus, The New York Daily News reported.

"In 1982, my son was conceived back in that parking lot during an Islanders game," Rosen loudly told MSG's Shannon Hogan.

Rosen — an NHL fan for 42 years — went on to say that the Islanders were not only involved with the conception, but the delivery too.

"I went into labor during the Stanley Cup game, 1982-83 season. (It was) false labor. (I) was able to come back for the last game and watch the Islanders win their next Stanley Cup."

Yup. That was really a good time to be an Islanders fan.

Brewery debuts 'Barn Rocker' beer for Islanders' last season at Nassau Coliseum

A Long Island-based brewery has partnered with Nassau Coliseum to offer a barley and hops tribute to the New York Islanders' last season inside the soon-to-be-vacated cement slab out in Hempstead.

“Barn Rocker” ale made its debut during Friday night's game against the Penguins. The beer's name commemorates the team’s final season at its current venue — known as "The Old Barn."

Oyster Bay Brewing Co. co-owners, Gabe Haim and Ryan Schlotter, who are fans of both the Islanders and beer, created the brew as a way to "do something special" for the final season at the 42-year-old Coliseum, where "Rock the Barn" has been a rallying cry. It debuted at the brewery earlier this month and was poured during a viewing party there for Tuesday's Islanders-Rangers game.

Haim said it was "created and brewed especially for the purpose of pouring it at a sports event . . . It's very light, really easy to drink, but with a lot of flavor. You can sit there and have a bunch of them."

OBB is not an official partner of the team, which means the keg will probably be dry when the Islanders move to the Barclays Center next season.

Not to worry beer guzzlers. It won't be hard finding another craft brew in Hipsterville, Brooklyn.

The Islanders' 'Fisherman' jerseys are coming back: Report

The New York Islanders are playing their best hockey over the past twenty years and now they have found a way to remind fans of all the futility they seemed to have left behind.

While Islanders fans thought they had seen the last of the snarling fisherman when the team ditched the logo after two years, it’s coming back — for one night only.

And to help celebrate (?) their final season at the Nassau Coliseum before making the move to Brooklyn, what better way better to remind soon-to-be-displaced fans of the losing teams of the 90's than bringing back a symbol more associated with a Gorton's fish platter than the Stanley Cup.

Even if it's only for a short time.

Bid now on the new "Fisherman" jerseys to be worn by the #Isles in warmups on Feb. 3 --> http://t.co/wGmcPKlBxz
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 9, 2015

The Islanders will wear the special jersey with the fisherman crest only during the pregame warmups for their Feb. 3 game against the Florida Panthers.

The Islanders will also auction the jerseys off for charity between Jan. 9 and Jan. 27 giving fans an opportunity to win one to keep all for themselves.

The fisherman is widely viewed as one of the worst jerseys — with one of the worst logos — belonging to any NHL team and reanimating it begs the question: Is it camp, nostalgia or a cruel joke?

Fish stick anyone?

Zamboni door gets assist on Maple Leafs goal against Islanders (VIDEO)

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum has meant a lot of good times for the New York Islanders — well, 30 some-odd years ago — and lately the old building has been a little cranky.

Tuesday night against  the Toronto Maple Leafs the 42-year-old structure might have said what a lot of Islander fans are thinking since the team announced it will move to Brooklyn next season — 'There's the door.'

And here's an assist too.

During the first period, after the puck rimmed around the boards in the Islanders' zone last night, it hit off the Zamboni doors and bounced away from Isles defenseman Thomas Hickey. Then it went right to the stick of Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel. He then sent it to James van Riemsdyk who snuck a shot past Jaroslav Halak to tie the score 1-1.

Maybe the Barclays Center doors will be friendlier to the Isles when they move there next season — that's if anyone can see them from the obstructed-view section in the stands.

Security guard beaten outside Yankee Stadium hockey game sues NYPD: Report

A security guard claims he was beaten up by hockey fans after a Stadium Series game outside Yankee Stadium while the NYPD iced their response time.

Eric MacFarlane says he suffered a fractured skull, a broken nose and other injuries during the brutal  beat-down after the Rangers-Islanders rivalry game on January 29 — and now he’s planning a $5 million suit against the city, reports the N.Y. Daily News.

MacFarlane was working for Securitas security company when he was posted outside of the Stadium on the frigid night. He and his partner were stationed in a converted Port-A-Potty with a space heater to keep warm.

The Daily News reported:

A drunken fan leaving the game who needed to use a toilet became irate when he opened the door to the john and saw it wasn’t a toilet.

The man and his pals all ganged up on MacFarlane, he said, and pummeled him on a police car.

MacFarlane said slow-moving cops didn’t come to his aid until after he’d been knocked unconscious. He said he told officers he needed medical help — and they took him to a security office inside the Stadium instead of to an ambulance positioned nearby.

MacFarlane’s lawyer Peter Gleason said the police, Securitas and the Yankees “didn’t provide even a minimal level of protection.” He filed a notice of claim, the first step in filing a lawsuit, last month.

A rep for the city Law Department said the filing would be reviewed thoroughly.